Amazing Grace
by Sparky16
Summary: GLaDOS finds herself a unbeknownst witness to one of life's most precious events, courtesy of Chell. One shot. Alt Ending Now Posted.
1. Amazing Grace

AN: this story contains a birth scene that, while not actually graphic, may offend some people. (Yes, there are people that get offended by natural birth, go figure.) This is you're only warning to turn back now.

**~Amazing Grace~  
><strong>By Sparky16

She felt like a Peeping Tom.  
>She felt like a fly on the wall.<br>She felt like she should just turn her camera off and delete the scene before her, but she couldn't look away. What was happening in front of her hidden lens was all together both frightening, awe inspiring, disgusting, and yet beautiful at the same time. It was exciting to be a hidden witness to such a life changing moment, and she got a sort of thrill in just the knowledge of it. Especially when this moment effected her favourite former test subject.

Chell.

She had almost missed this very chance. It was an early summer evening, the skies were already painted orange as the sun set, and the surrounding air was hot and humid. GLaDOS could see the sweat on the young woman's nude body as she rocked back and forth. Quietly, the super computer assessed the young woman from her hiding place within Chell's beloved Companion Cube. They were in a house, she assumed a second floor bedroom, where there was merely an old futon mattress with blankets, and sheets all along the floor. GLaDOS knew the location. It was the old abandoned township where a lot of the scientists and their families used to live before she, and later the Combine, had killed them all. Chell was on the mattress, sitting on her knees and leaning slightly forward, her hands on the ground for support. She was rocking back and forth in discomfort. Her body was more tanned and some ways leaner than what GLaDOS remembered. The only great change was her swollen belly. Chell, in the year she was gone, had become pregnant and was now deep in labour and, unbeknownst to the former Test subject, GLaDOS was watching her.

She hadn't meant to honestly. When she had received a signal that Aperture tech was within the vicinity of 100 miles she instantly knew what it was, or rather who. She tried to ignore it, hoping that it would go away, that _**she**_ would go away, that _**she**_ was merely passing through but the signal had paused and didn't seem to be getting any closer. This sparked her curiosity and worry, after all, she had her own family to protect. Her precious little killers. GLaDOS didn't need that dangerous monster back in her facility before her little kill machines were ready, so she patched into the camera system within the companion cube. It was a system she installed to protect herself and Aperture from that human… and maybe just to observe her, just a little though. The omnipotent A.I just didn't expect to be observing this.

The human gave a soft moan in pain. GLaDOS had always wondered if she could make sound. She could never get Chell to talk back or cry out in pain, yet here she was, undergoing something completely natural to humans and was openly showing her discomfort. The poor thing. Idly GLaDOS wondered were the human's mate was. If Chell had gotten pregnant then surely the mate had to be nearby. Humans never missed the birth of their offspring and GLaDOS knew for a fact that Chell had found a pack of humans earlier in the year.

She scanned around the area, he didn't seem to be within the room. She stretched out her systems to tap into the aging security cameras on the streets of the long forgotten town. They were bare. It was now clear that Chell had come there alone with nothing more than her companion cube, her mate no where to be seen or perhaps he was none existent. GLaDOS didn't care to think on that fact. Her former test subject was foolish. She had left the safety of her human pack to birth elsewhere. Privacy over protection. Why? What a fool.

That's when GLaDOS realized something. If she wanted to she could interfere. She could recapture Chell and allow her to birth in perfect comfort and safety of the facility. However GLaDOS was not dumb either. Interfering could easily cause more harm than good. She needed to weigh her options. If she interfered, if she spoke up now, and sent Orange and Blue to get her or even help her, then she would undoubtedly fight back, wanting to keep her freedom. It would cause her to run and give her undo stress and it would harm both Chell and the baby. And then, even if she was recaptured there was an even greater chance of her trying to kill the A.I again and destroy Aperture. It was settled. She couldn't interfere. She wouldn't no matter how strong the urge got. She made a point that the only way she would was if Chell and the baby's immediate life were in danger. Then and _only_ then would she dispatch Orange and Blue.

Another gasp brought GLaDOS out of thought and back to watching the girl. Chell's facial expressions were strained, her body curving outward slowly she she held onto a breath. She was pushing. The woman released her breath and relaxed her body. She moved to lean to the side, giving a soft whimper when another contraction hit. She moved to bare down and push again but it was short lived so Chell adjusted to lying down on her side in her makeshift nest, the setting sun illuminated the woman's body. GLaDOS could easily see the fatigue, strain, and wear present all over her form. She could also see the healing scars from her former days of testing. GLaDOS would only admit now, but for a human, one of various ethnicity, essentially a mutt, Chell was pretty. Even more so now in the glow of child birth, but she wouldn't compliment her further. She wondered internally, seeing the other amounts of wear and strain on her body, if Chell was taking care of herself properly. She was alive so that was a good indication, and she was far from sick. She had even managed to hook up with a human male somewhere along her journeys only to end up in her current state, but was the wear on her body from her freedom or from the pregnancy? GLaDOS made note that she would have to study that further.

She looked at her former test subject, her eyes were closed and her breaths soft but shallow. She was sleeping, exhausted so far by the labour and midnight heat. GLaDOS turned her sights away from the test subject and focused herself back into her main chamber. She knew three little ones of her own that should be asleep as well. Her gaze turned to a large nest with three fully grown crows inside. They were huddled together already fast asleep. GLaDOS dimmed the lighting in her chamber.

"Good night my little ones" she cooed then turned her attention back to the test subject.

She spent all night watching the human woman. GLaDOS observed as she'd wake up periodically from either discomfort or contractions, adjust her position and go back to sleep. She had even tried pushing several times when the pain was particularly unbearable but nothing happened. GLaDOS chuckled with a shake of her head as the former test subject moved to get comfortable once more. That girl was not going to get much sleep tonight. Still, the spying A.I could only watch and wait with baited breath. She knew that this was something that, without her meddling, would only happen in good time, and only when the baby was good and damn ready to come out. Not when Chell or GLaDOS wanted it to.

It was like that the whole night through and GLaDOS was severely weighing her options again about recapture, still her logic about not wanting to DIE won out every time. She thought about sending Orange and Blue out to assist. It was clear now that the woman was in distress, restless and just utterly exhausted. GLaDOS made up her mind. Orange and Blue it was then. She prepared to send the signal to the reassembly machines when a sharp cry from Chell caught her attention and froze her in her tracks. GLaDOS focused on the camera within the cube.

It was happening.

The A.I observed the soon-to-be-mother's breathing change from short, sharp breaths to deep long ones, and her body move into all fours, an then sit on her knees with her legs apart. Yes this was finally it, the moment. GLaDOS then swore that her camera seemed a whole lot closer to Chell suddenly, and she was partly right. Chell had moved again, this time to get back on her knees and lean against the cube. Now GLaDOS had an absolutely clear view of everything! Oh if her test subject only knew… she'd probably die of embarrassment. GLaDOS almost wanted to laugh out loud.

She activated her recording equipment. While the A.I was familiar with the human birth process, she had never seen or witnessed it live, and now, here was her former test subject, graciously giving her a live demonstration with the best seat in the house! GLaDOS fell silent in her thoughts, the only thing she could hear now was Chell's whimpers and the early morning birds from outside her little hideaway. A mixture of blood and clear liquids came from the body, GLaDOS knew this to be a sign of the water breaking. She could hear Chell's heavy breaths as she pushed, her whimpers gradually increasing as the pain did, but then they were bitten back as if Chell remembered that she was doing this in utter privacy, and wanted to remain hidden. Still, she let her whimpers escape and GLaDOS's optic widened as slowly but surely a tiny head began to emerge from the mother's body.

GLaDOS felt her entire chassis freeze at the sight, and she was sure that her circuits stopped working for just a nanosecond as an unidentified feeling ran through her, but whatever it was, it was warm and pleasant. She continued to watch as one of the mother's hand reached down and tenderly touch the child's head that peeked out from her body.

What a moment.

GLaDOS noted that Chell was starting to help herself. The woman barred down and as it's tiny shoulders and arms started to emerge, and Chell was helping guide it with her free hand.

'Self sufficient' was all the came to GLaDOS's mind about the woman and she supposed then that all her worry about recapture and assistance had been for not.

Finally, with one last heave, the baby fully slipped from its mother, down into the sopping blankets and sheets below, and started to wail for all it was worth. GLaDOS was only able to catch a brief glimpse but it was a girl. She watched as the mother moved immediately to bring the little infant up into her arms, it's body still covered in afterbirth, but that didn't seem to phase her. GLaDOS looked to Chell's face and was taken aback by just the sheer ammount of emotion she was showing. The human's eyes, normally cold and hard, were warm and smiling, yes her eyes were smiling, and the amount of love and pride that seemed to glow from her was immeasurable. She was smiling a full toothed smile with tears starting to streak down her face. GLaDOS could honestly say she had never seen such an expression on a human, let along her former test subject, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was real.

The test subject moved away from the spot of the birth and laid down with the whining infant cuddled in her arms. She threw a few blankets over them, and she used a spare sheet to wipe away at some of the infant's skin to clean it, before falling into a restful snooze. GLaDOS simply looked at them for a moment then spoke to herself.

"Congratulations… Chell."

GLaDOS continued to watch over the pair as the dog days of summer passed on by. Chell barley left her little hideaway, and when she did it was only to use the washroom or find food, and each time she left the baby in the room alone. When she'd go to find food, she'd wrap it in blankets and then, as if to hide it - which she probably was, she'd gently place a few more blankets over top of it, to cover the infant from sight, and leave the house. It was always at those times that GLaDOS was on high alert. Not for the fear of Chell coming back to Aperture, but for the fear that she would abandon the baby or something wild might attack it. It was those times that she had Blue and Orange ready to go at a split second's moment. Thankfully that never did happen and GLaDOS always watched as Chell never strayed far from the little house at all. 'Still,' GLaDOS reasoned with herself, 'better safe than sorry.'

Chell and her child stayed there for weeks, every day GLaDOS would turn on the camera and observe new behaviour within her former test subject that she found utterly fascinating. This little infant had magically transformed this dangerous mute lunatic into a caring and protective mother figure that would hum and cradle it to sleep. It really was quiet the change, and while GLaDOS thought the change was a good one, she wouldn't consider recapture now by a long shot. GLaDOS was smart, she knew better than to get in the middle of a lunatic and her offspring. The comparison could easily rival that of a mother grizzly protecting its cub. Actually, if GLaDOS had to put money on who would win in a death match between the two, her money was on the Lunatic.

Finally, one particular morning, when the leaves were starting to change colour and fall, GLaDOS turned on her camera only to find Chell and the baby gone. The room in which they had hibernated in during the warm summer months was now cleaned up, all signs of their living there, gone. The only thing that remained was the cube. Chell had left it behind. GLaDOS turned on the feed to the township security cameras but could not find a single trace of the human and her child.

They were gone.

Nodding to herself, GLaDOS turned off the feed for the final time and sighed. She then looked up at the ceiling and spoke aloud to her long gone subject.

"Since I know you don't have a mother of your own, allow me to do the honours in wishing you the following. You put me though a lot of trouble and anxiety, you brat! You made me worry and panic, you made me infuriated beyond belief. You killed me once and tried to do it again, and I'm sure if I had hair it would all be grey right now! So from one mother to another I hope, to whatever god above that is listening to me, that that child turns out to be _**EXACTLY**_ like _**YOU**_. A dangerous little lunatic that gives you hell!" she proclaimed with a full hardy laugh. It was only fitting.

Fin

AN: So I actually had an alternate ending where GlaDOS does interfere. If you wanna read it, say so in your review and I'll post it. If not, the just plain review. I always love them!

Bye!


	2. Alt Ending

AN: I had this ready to go before the great kitty crash of 2012 (aka Cat threw my laptop off my desk and totalled my HD.)… after that I gave up and I let life happen. Now I finally return with this alt ending. I don't find it as great at the first one tbh. That one, to me, was poetry in motion. This one, well I don't love it but I don't hate it either. Regardless this is for those that wanted and waited so long for this chapter.

**Amazing Grace**

**Alt Ending**

She spent all night watching the human woman. GLaDOS observed as she'd wake up periodically from either discomfort or contractions, adjust her position and go back to sleep. She had even tried pushing several times when the pain was particularly unbearable but nothing happened. GLaDOS chuckled with a shake of her head as the former test subject moved to get comfortable once more. That girl was not going to get much sleep tonight. Still, the spying A.I could only watch and wait with baited breath. She knew that this was something that, without her meddling, would only happen in good time, and only when the baby was good and damn ready to come out. Not when Chell or GLaDOS wanted it to.

It was like that the whole night through and GLaDOS was severely weighing her options again about recapture, still her logic about not wanting to DIE won out every time. She thought about sending Orange and Blue out to assist. It was clear now that the woman was in distress, restless and just utterly exhausted. GLaDOS made up her mind. Orange and Blue it was then. She prepared to send the signal to the reassembly machines. It was time to take matters into her own hands.

Atlas and P-body were standing at the edge of the township as the sun just barely crept over the horizon. P-Body was looking at the array of dilapidated houses, trying to pin point the signal while Atlas was more interested in the nature around him. Finally P-Body located the signal from the cube and called for her partner to follow.

_"__Listen up, you idiots," _came GLaDOS's voice over a wireless signal, _"you can't go rushing in there like clowns, she'll run. I'm having a bit of time trying to activate the Companion Cube's security systems so we can subdue her properly. Something's stuck. You need to handle this _**_gently. _**_Blue, I need you to fix the cube. I'm sure you can handle at least that much?" _The two bots gave an affirmative as they moved closer towards their goal. GLaDOS was watching Chell from both the Cube's perspective and P-Body's lens. This had to be done right or not at all, and GLaDOS was not about to let them muck this one up.

Inside, she watched as Chell lay on her makeshift bed in obvious and excruciating pain, the occasional moan escaping the girl's throat. GLaDOS noticed several times that she had tried to push but to no avail. Something definitely was not right. She then saw Chell suddenly switch her focus to the bedroom door, and the look on her face turned into alarm. GLaDOS looked on in her direction only to see P-Body poking her head in through the door. Her bots had made it.

_"__Gently now"_ GLaDOS coaxed to them.

Chell was already trying to get up and get away, or find something to defend herself, despite of being in crippling pain, but P-Body was also doing her best to assure the human that she meant no harm. She raised her hands and slowly approached trying to look and sound as pleasant as possible. It was not convincing Chell however, and the woman struggled to get get to her feet when another shot of labor pains coursed right through her, causing her to yell and fall to one of her knees in pain. That's when P-Body rushed over and caught her to hold her steady. Chell looked at the bot in panic, then to the human's surprise, P-Body tried to gently push her into lying down again.

Much to GLaDOS's, and the android's relief, Chell did, but the woman still looked alert as ever. GLaDOS could only surmise that it was the fight or flight instinct in her. She wasn't going to endanger her baby, so she would comply, but she'd watch for any moment to escape, or look for any sign of hostility. P-Body, thankfully, didn't understand the definition of Hostile.

Once Chell was settled, the orange-eyed bot called for her partner. GLaDOS watched as Blue stepped into the room and gave a small wave to Chell before stepping towards the cube. Chell, not knowing of the second party, nearly tried to flee again, but P-Body had a hand on her shoulder and patted it, giving off small soft sounds to try and comfort her. She even put a blanket over her to keep her warm.

Blue stepped over to the cube and examined it. Somehow this metal box was supposed to help. Somehow the Queen was watching everything from it. He picked it up and turned it around to examine it. There was no holes, switches, buttons, clips or levers, so… how was he supposed to fix it? Unable to quiet get it, and letting his temper get the best of him far to early, he smacked the cube with his fist causing both Chell and P-Body to jump.

At that moment the hearts lit up and several mechanical beeps came from the box.

"Oh good, you fixed it" came the all to familiar and terrifying voice of Chell's nemesis, GLaDOS. The girl went absolutely white as a sheet as all three of them watched the clips on the edges of the cube unlatch and pop off and the box unfold to reveal it's contents. Chell saw a wireless security camera attached to a power supply, and a small black box, as the cube continued to unfold. The inside was white just like the walls in the test chambers, and on opposite ends to one another, were long metal strips that Chell recognized instantly as automated Portal strips. "Thank you for activating the Aperture Science Companion Cube Security System," came GLaDOS's voice from the camera, "Your specimen has been processed, and we are now ready to being our assistance proper. Please assume the party escort submission position."

At that very second Chell moved like lighting to escape but instantly P-Body and Atlas grabbed her. The sound of a 'Sssssssssss' as if air was leaking from a tire could be heard, and Chell could see a white fog start to appear in the room from the black power box that the camera was attached to. Knock out gas.

Poor Chell didn't stand a chance. It was over before it begun.

Chell's body was sprawled out on the raised panel. Several Mechanical arms were holding her arms and chest. Two larger ones where clamped around her thighs, holding them spread eagle, while two _much _smaller ones pushed and moved their way inside of her. Glados looked at the live scans in front of her and made her final move. Fluids came gushing from the human and the small mechanical arms slowly removed the tiny being from it's mother's womb. GlaDOS held the squirmy thing up in front of her as she drained it's lungs with a syringe and it began to wail.

"I'd cry like that to if my mother was an unlovable monster just like yours" she said almost cheerfully. She then set the little one down in an incubator next to another piece of squirming flesh. Twins. Chell was carrying twins, and the two had gotten stuck trying to come out at the same time. That's what had caused her so much distress. Now though the crisis was over. It had been a close call, almost losing all the of them, but GlaDOS wasn't going to deny her feeling of accomplishment. She knew she was great, but this whole situation just helped to inflate her ego that much more.

She looked at the new mother still under general anaesthesia. She'd have to be cleaned and clothed before being put in her new cage, and GlaDOS had no plans on waking her until she was locked up. With no more than a thought, the facility of Aperture Science swallowed up the three humans and took them away for scans, exams, and medical treatment. GlaDOS looked over into the room where the deadly core exchange button used to reside. She hoped this decision would be a good one.

The first thing Chell noticed was no pain and the lack of weight her body had been used to hauling around for the last nine months. In fact her senses were filled with a slightly groggy, but warm and pleasant buzz. She then noticed the air around her, it was cool and sterile, not warm and sweet smelling like it should have been for this time of year. She took another deep breath and carefully opened her eyes. She wished she hadn't. Chell was on the floor, clothed in scrubs, and the hard cold tile was covered in blankets, just like her little hideaway had been. But instead of being inside a house, she was behind a caged wall in the Central AI chamber, and if Chell was guessing right, this room used hold the core transfer button.

Chell's thoughts were instantly on escape to find her baby when she heard a soft sound next to her. Chell looked down and blinked. How could she have missed it? Next to her, wrapped in little blankets were two babies. Chell's babies. Immediately she had to touch them, hold them, and make sure they were both real, and both okay.

"You're welcome, by the way" came GLaDOS's voice and Chell looked towards the metal leviathan in the middle of the room with anger and hatred. "I bet you didn't even know you were carrying twins, did you? Well if it weren't for my intervention, both they, as well as yourself, would be dead by now. So you're welcome." Chell blinked. She looked down at her babies before drawing them both up into her arms and holding them close. "You might as well get comfortable," GLaDOS spoke again, "I have no interest in testing you or your offspring. I'm not suicidal enough to get between them and you. That cage door is there for my protection. I will release you again. I have full plans on doing so. I already said, I want you gone, I don't know why you came back, but protocol requires me to keep an eye on your hideous progeny and you, until such time that you are okay to survive and care for them on your own." Chell gave her a dirty look and scoffed. GLaDOS's optic narrowed at the girl. "You didn't come out of this unscathed Chell. When that freezing and pain medication wears off, you'll see for yourself. I like to think a great deal of Karma happened. Just as you tore me apart, your runts did their own amount of damage. But I digress. The necessities of life will be provided, as will a few creature comforts. I'm not a monster like you. It's all temporary of course, just until you are well enough to leave." With that said, metal blinds covered the caged opening, splitting Chell and her little family from GLaDOS, and giving them each privacy.

Chell was anything but perfectly okay with this, but what else could she do but grin and bear it?

Over the time GLaDOS had kept her promise. Chell had food, water, a bed, a bathroom… it was just small creature comforts that GLaDOS didn't have to go to far out of her way for to keep the little family content. Most of the time the metal shutters were closed but once or twice a day they were down. GLaDOS tried talking with her, but Chell never answered back, so instead she'd relate the latest news and happenings of the centre, or the world, and Chell just listened with mild interest. More often than not Atlas, P-Body, and various cores tried to sneak peeks of the babies, especially when they thought Chell was asleep, but neither Chell nor GLaDOS ever let those brief visits go unnoticed.

Chell, on her part, dropped her hostility when she became more sure of the AI's intentions. That didn't mean she was never on alert, it was the opposite. Chell was in tune with every little sound and movement around her, but she didn't have the time or energy to be angry. The twins saw to that, and GLaDOS never held back her laughter when one or both of them put Chell is a situation she was not familiar at handling, or if 'accidents' happened.

Regardless, time flew by and the little family was getting stronger and stronger by the day. GLaDOS kept an eye on the town from where she had plucked Chell from, to see if any humans had come to look for her. Nothing. It wasn't until the leaves had started to change colours and fall from the trees when a pack of humans entered the township. She watched, she listened, she recorded their voices. They were looking for Chell. GLaDOS found herself weighting her options. It was fall, it would get colder, food would be scarcer. If Chell and the twins stayed at the enrichment centre till spring then they would survive the winter. She could make them a little apartment in some part of the facility where they could move about carefree and not be trapped behind a cage wall. It would be easy to take care of- she stopped her thoughts there.

No. It couldn't and shouldn't be. Not like this. Curiously, she looked in at the little family, the twins were wide-eyed and bushy tailed, giving off little sounds of delight as Chell focused her attentions on them. GLaDOS took a recording from one of the humans currently in the township and played it out loud.

'Chell?! You here?' a male voice called out. Instantly Chell sat up in surprise.

"Colin?!" she called out then brought her hands to her mouth. She did NOT mean to speak. GLaDOS had not expected that reaction either, in fact GLaDOS nearly had a core meltdown at hearing the girl actually talk! But… it told GLaDOS what she already knew. It was time. In fact that time had come a long while ago… GLaDOS just knew she was holding onto the past for her own sake now.

"Colin…" GLaDOS repeated, "so that is the name of your mate. A good name, unlike yours. Anyway, it's time for you to get ready Chell" she said and, from the floor, several mechanical arms delivered the woman's clothes. "Get changed. Your pack is in the township looking for you. It's time to go back to them." Chell just looked at her like she had cracked a circuit for a moment, but proceeded to get ready.

It was like watching a family reunion. Well… it _was_ a family reunion, and GLaDOS could only look on as Chell emerged from the house, where the portal was, to be reunited with those she cared about. While some fawned over the new editions, GLaDOS watched as Chell ran into the arms of her loved one, being greeted with hugs, kisses and loving words. The Ai didn't know why Chell had left to give birth elsewhere but it was apparent she was loved by these others. Once Chell was reunited, it didn't take long for the group to up and leave. As GLaDOS watched her former test subject walk away, she saw her look back over her shoulder, and up at one of the cameras. Did she know it was working? did she even know one was there?! if she did, Chell smiled, nodded, mouthed a 'thank you' and left with the others.

"You're welcome… don't come back" GLaDOS spoke from inside her chambers.

Chell and those humans never did come back.

Fin.


End file.
